Code of Conduct

OUR COMMITMENT

The school recognizes that students achieve their best when they feel safe, nurtured, welcomed, engaged, respected and included. We are committed to providing a healthy learning and working environment to support student success by promoting responsibility, respect, civility, academic excellence and good citizenship. For learning to be successful, schools must be free of negative factors such as bullying, discrimination, intimidation, hateful words and actions, as well as physical violence in any form.

In the Peel board, we understand that equity and excellence go hand-in-hand. One of the core goals in our strategic plan, the Report Card for Student Success, is the following:

"Achieve equity for students and staff—we provide equity of access and opportunity for students and staff to learn, work and develop in an environment that is nurturing, engaging, respectful and inclusive."
One of the Peel board's projects is the implementation of six core character attributes. The attributes are taught in school, but they are also the basis of the board's working relationships—they help to create a positive climate for learning and working.

We want our staff and students to be:

Caring – showing compassion and kindness towards others

Cooperative – working collaboratively with others for a common purpose

Honest – being truthful, trustworthy and sincere in your speech and actions

Inclusive – treating everyone fairly and equitably

Respectful – treating others, yourself and the environment with high regard and value

Responsible – being accountable and reliable in your actions and commitments

We believe that parents, the school and community must work together to help students learn to become responsible members of society by being sensitive to the diversity, cultural and special needs of individual students. We must clearly demonstrate respect for social justice and human rights, and promote the values needed to develop responsible members of a democratic society.

OUR CODE OF CONDUCT

The school's Code of Conduct applies to all members of the school community including students, parents and guardians, volunteers and school staff, whether they are on school property, on school buses, at school-authorized events or activities, or in any other situation that may impact the school climate.

All members of the school community have a responsibility to behave appropriately, take responsibility for their own actions, and respect and honour the school Code of Conduct.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

All members of the school community are expected to:

demonstrate honesty and integrity

treat one another with dignity, respect and fairness, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnicity, creed, citizenship, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, socioeconomic status or any other attribute

take appropriate action to help those in need, seeking assistance to resolve conflict constructively and respectfully

show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others

Parent and guardian responsibilities include:

taking an active role in their child's education by ensuring their child is prepared for learning including attending school regularly and on time, promptly reporting absences or late arrivals, and ongoing communication with the school

reviewing the school Code of Conduct with their child and helping him/her follow school rules

helping their child understand that it is not appropriate to tease or bully others

monitoring their child's Internet use and taking responsibility for his/her behaviour when accessing electronic resources from home

Student responsibilities include:

demonstrating a commitment to learning through punctuality, regular attendance, being prepared and ready to learn

practising honesty and integrity by not participating in or encouraging plagiarism and misrepresentation of original work

following school rules and taking responsibility for his/her own actions

not bringing anything to school or using anything inappropriately that may harm the student or others

showing proper care and respect for school and community property, as well as only visiting other schools for school-related and authorized activities

Staff responsibilities include:

helping students develop self-worth, achieve to the best of their ability, and prepare to become responsible citizens

maintaining order in the school and holding everyone to the highest standard of respectful and responsible behaviour

responding to and reporting behaviours which may have a negative impact on the school climate

BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

We are teaching students to identify bullying behaviour and giving them strategies to respond to it and stop it from happening.

Bullying is typically a form of repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour directed at another person that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear, distress and/or harm to that person's body, feelings, self-esteem or reputation. Bullying occurs when there is a real or perceived power of imbalance.

Bullying can be based on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic status, social status, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, disability or the receipt of special education. Bullying may include the use of any physical, verbal, electronic (cyber-bullying), written or other means.

When someone experiences or observes bullying behaviour, he/she is expected to report it to a teacher, teaching assistant or school administrator immediately. Bullying behaviour will be dealt with using a progressive discipline approach.

PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE

The school encourages, supports and recognizes acceptable behaviour in our students through a variety of positive practices. Progressive discipline is an approach that makes use of a continuum of interventions, supports and consequences, building upon strategies which promote positive behaviours.

We encourage students to take responsibility for their behaviour and to accept the consequences of their actions. A progressive discipline approach will be used to deal with inappropriate behaviour. This may include: oral reminders, review of expectations, contact with parent(s)/guardian(s), written reflection, volunteer services in the school community, conflict mediation and resolution, peer mentoring, and/or referral for support services.

We recognize that each student is a unique individual and that every situation that requires disciplinary action has its own set of extenuating circumstances. All factors that may have affected the student's behaviour will be considered before progressive discipline is applied. Students who behave inappropriately will receive an age and developmentally appropriate consequence. For a student with special education or disability-related needs, all progressive discipline approaches will be consistent with his/her Individual Education Plan and his/her demonstrated abilities

SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION

The school also supports the use of suspension and expulsion for serious incidents as outlined in the Peel District School Board's Safe Schools Policy.

Before considering whether to impose a suspension or make a recommendation for an expulsion, a principal must consider mitigating and other factors.

The behaviours for which a principal may consider suspending a student include:

swearing (written or verbal) at a teacher or at another person in a position of authority

bullying, including cyber-bullying

uttering a threat to inflict serious bodily harm on another person

committing an act of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property

possessing alcohol or restricted drugs

being under the influence of alcohol or restricted drugs

committing any act considered by the principal to:

have a negative impact on the moral tone of the school

have a negative impact on the physical or mental well-being of one or more school community members

be contrary to the school or Peel board Codes of Conduct

Incidents for which a principal will consider recommending to the board's Discipline Committee that a student be expelled include:

possessing a weapon or using a weapon to threaten or frighten another person

trafficking in restricted drugs or weapons

giving alcohol to a minor

committing robbery

committing sexual assault

behaviour that:

is significantly detrimental to the school climate and/or to the physical or mental well being of others

causes extensive damage to school property

causes his/her continued presence at the school to pose an unacceptable risk to other members of the school community

a pattern of behaviour so inappropriate the student's continued presence is detrimental to the effective learning or working environment of others

demonstrates a persistent resistance to changes in behaviour that would enable him/her to be successful

is a serious violation of the school or Peel board Codes of Conduct

Students who are suspended or expelled will be given an opportunity to continue their education through educational programs offered by the school board.

DRUGS

The school recognizes the benefits of a smoke-free environment to all persons. By law, smoking is not permitted at the school, on board property, on school buses or while attending any school-related activity. School property includes cars that are on school grounds and all lands to the edge of the street. The no smoking rule will be enforced within these areas.

Providing tobacco products to anyone under 19 years of age is illegal.

Alcohol and restricted drugs may be addictive and represent a health hazard. Possessing, using, trafficking in, or providing others with restricted drugs and/or alcohol will not be condoned at the school, on Peel board property or at any school-related event or activity at any time. Lighters and drug-related paraphernalia that can be used for substance abuse are not permitted on school property.

WEAPONS

Possessing or displaying weapons of any kind, including real, toy or replica, and all other objects that could inflict or threaten bodily harm will not be condoned at the school, on any Peel board property or at any school-related event or activity at any time.

DRESS CODE

The standards for dress at the school are based on common sense and are intended to support the comfort, safety and modesty of all students. There is a strong relationship between neat, clean and appropriate clothing and a positive learning environment.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY

The school recognizes the value of using Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) to enhance 21st Century learning to support curriculum delivery. As such, we embrace the use of PEDs in a respectful and responsible manner, in keeping with the school’s Code of Conduct and the Peel District School Board’s Digital Citizenship Policy #78. The Code of Conduct and academic integrity apply to the use of technology whether students are accessing information from school, home or from a PED.

Students are able to use Board technology and their PEDs for educational purposes in classrooms, libraries, cafeterias/lunchrooms and other areas students gather to do their work, as outlined in the expectations below:

PEDs may be used in the classroom only with permission of a teacher or other staff member.

PEDs may be used outside the classroom as long as these devices do not distract from school activities.

PEDs may only be used to make and/or receive phone calls or texts in the school-designated area unless a teacher or staff member provides permission to do so elsewhere.

Students need to be diligent about safely storing their PEDs. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen and/or damaged PEDs.

With respect to Board technology, never download or install any software without the permission of your teacher.

Do not use Board technology resources to store materials not relevant to educational purposes.

Users should not expect privacy with respect to any of their activities when using the Board’s technology resources.

We have clear expectations around the appropriate, respectful use of technology. Inappropriate use of Board technology and/or PEDs may result in discipline or having the use of these services suspended or removed.

BUS TRAVEL

Students are expected to follow the standards of behaviour outlined in the Code of Conduct while they are on the school bus.

Students are required to:

be at their bus stop at least five minutes before their pick-up time

go directly to their seats and stay seated

follow the bus driver's instructions and behave appropriately at all times

Students may not:

consume food and drinks on the bus

fight, swear or cause excessive noise on the bus

engage in activities that may endanger the safety of themselves or others